Cara Rintala to face third trial for murder of wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala

NORTHAMPTON -- After two hung juries and two mistrials, Cara Rintala will stand trial for a third time for the 2010 murder of her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala.

Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne said Tuesday he wants to retry the case later this year, but that he will agree to a "reasonable" bail. He recommended $150,000 cash during a hearing in Hampshire Superior Court.

Rintala has been in jail and held without right to bail since October, 2011.

Her attorney, David P. Hoose, said he is hopeful his client will be able to make bail, as it may take time for both sides to attempt to gather new evidence for a third trial.

Gagne, the the Northwest District Attorney's Office, issued the following statement outlining conditions prosecutors will stipulate for Rintala to be granted bail prior to a third trial:

The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office remains steadfastly committed to achieving justice for Annamarie (Cochrane) Rintala, and her family, in connection with her March 29, 2010 murder in the town of Granby. Toward that end, the Commonwealth intends to move forward with its prosecution of the first-degree murder indictment that the Hampshire Grand Jury issued against Cara Lee Rintala in October 2011, in the hopes of retrying the case later this year.

The Commonwealth is cognizant that the defendant has remained held without bail since her October 2011 arrest, and that two juries have been unable to render a unanimous verdict in this case. Given this, and in recognition of the fact that the ultimate purpose of bail is to assure a person’s appearance at future court dates, the Commonwealth believes that the interests of fairness and justice would be served by admitting the defendant to $150,000 cash bail, with numerous conditions being imposed upon her release should she post that bail.

The conditions requested by the Commonwealth include that the defendant: (1) submit to 24-hour-a-day GPS monitoring; (2) reside in Western Massachusetts; (3) abide by a 9pm to 7am curfew; (4) not leave the Commonwealth; (5) not leave Hampshire or Hampden County without prior approval by the Probation Department; (6) surrender her passport; (7) sign a waiver of extradition (in the event such a procedure were to become necessary); (8) check in with Hampshire Superior Court Probation Department once a week, in person; and (9) maintain the custody and visitation arrangements currently in place with respect to Annamarie’s parents’ access to their granddaughter, B.R..

The Commonwealth is confident that this combination of bail and conditions will strike an appropriate balance between assuring the defendant’s appearance at future court dates, and preserving the defendant’s rights as the case again proceeds to trial.